PADUCAH, KY (May 15, 2009) - In a thrilling finish, Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, GA beat Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN to the finish line winning by just one car length on Friday Night at Paducah International Raceway to score his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since 2006 earning $10,000 for himself and his car owner 2008 Nationwide Series Champion, Clint Bowyer. Trailing McDowell and Bloomquist to the line were Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR, 17th starting Chris Wall of Holden, LA and 18th starter, Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, IL.
Ray Cook and Terry English made up the front row for the 50 lap main event. Cook quickly grabbed the early lead with English, who came into the race as the all-time wins leader at Paducah running in second as Jeff Walston would brought out the first caution with two laps scored.
Cook lead the cars on the Delaware double-file restart with English and Jimmy Owens lined up side-by-side behind him. English began to fade as he developed a hole in his radiator as he slowed dramatically a lap into the restart. Owens went to second place with Scott Bloomquist and Jason Feger running side-by-side for the third spot as English exited the race on lap five.
With Cook in the command of the race in the early going, a hotly contested battle for second was getting cranked up with Owens, Bloomquist and Feger dicing it out three-wide around the racy surface, as Feger went to the top groove and passed Bloomquist for third on lap seven.
Cook extended his lead lap after lap as he was in complete control of the race extending his lead to ten car lengths over the rest of the field. The race was going along smoothly with battles all over the track behind Cook. With 15 laps scored, Owens was second followed by Feger, Don O'Neal and Bloomquist.
The second caution came out on lap 20 for a slowing Josh McGuire. That caution would hurt Cook as on the restart his car was never the same as it was before. He lost his lead for the first time on the restart to begin lap 21 as he was quickly dropping in the running order, eventually bringing out the third caution as he developed a flat tire on lap 23.
Owens was the beneficiary of Cook's tough luck as he took over the lead, but it would only last four laps as he pitted under the caution for Cook. Bloomquist then inherited the top spot with 24 laps scored. Bloomquist lead the field for the halfway mark (25 laps) with Moyer now in second followed by McDowell, Brad Neat and O'Neal.
Bloomquist kept the lead and with 20 laps remaining he held a two-car length lead over Moyer as the fourth caution came out for David Breazeale with 31 laps completed. This would set up a classic battle for the lead as on the restart McDowell passed Moyer for second and then he set his sights on Bloomquist. Bloomquist and McDowell then went tooth and nail running as hard as they could; McDowell used the very upper groove of the track around the wall to pass Bloomquist on lap 38 for the lead.
McDowell then went to a quick two car length over Bloomquist with Moyer was starting to lurk in third as Wall, Babb and O'Neal were racing hard for the fourth spot. With five laps to go, McDowell was looking good but the final caution came out with two laps to go for Dan Schlieper lost a wheel; this would set up a green, white and checkered finish.
On the restart McDowell would stay up top with Bloomquist running down low as the two cars were side-by-side coming to the white flag it looked like Bloomquist was going to pull off the victory. The two drivers were door-to-door on the final lap and coming off of turn four heading to the checkers McDowell's line up top would get the job done as he beat Bloomquist by one car length to earn his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory since February 8th, 2006 at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL.
In the Lucas Oil Victory Lane, McDowell did an interview with Dave Argabright of SPEED Channel who was on hand to tape the event for a one-hour broadcast later in the season. He was extremely thrilled with his victory as he became the tenth different winner in 12 Lucas Oil Series this season.
"I was holding my breath there at the end, I really wasn't praying for Scott to win, I just wanted to get to the finish line first, we had a great finish there with Scott on that last lap the car stuck up there and we'll take this win with all the bad luck we had early in the season, hats off to the track staff here with all the bad weather everyone has had, the track was great and we put on a great show for the fans tonight," said McDowell who will celebrate his 43rd birthday on May 18th.
"We dropped back there at the start a little bit, but once we got it going it was real good up top and that's where we stayed, Scott's car was good anywhere on the track the way it looked, but the momentum there on the top is what paid off for us, Scott and I have raced together for years and we raced each other clean again tonight, and I have to thank Clint Bowyer my car owner this is our first win together and I know he will be happy about that, I want to thank my crew Tommy Grecco and Caleb Baker they did a great job and this Warrior Race Car and Custom Engine it's special to win a Lucas Oil race it's been a long-time and it'll help us with our confidence."
McDowell's Warrior Impala SS is sponsored by Chevrolet, Scheck Industries, Cometic Gasket and Sunoco Race Fuels.
Bloomquist finished second in his Miller Brothers Coal/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars Monte Carlo SS with Moyer placing third in his Banner Valley Hauling/Clements Racing Engines/Moyer Victory CircleM1 Chassis Monte Carlo SS. Completing the top five were Chris Wall, who had an impressive finish in his first visit to Paducah coming home fourth in his C&M Gator Farm/Wall2Wall Performance Engines/MasterSbilt by Stuckey Monte Carlo SS with Shannon Babb taking fifth in his Petroff Towing/Dargie Racing Engines/Rocket Monte Carlo SS.
Completing the top ten were Don O'Neal, Dennis Erb Jr., Jason Feger, Jeep VanWormer and John Blankenship. VanWormer was the PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race after starting 24th and finishing ninth.
In preliminary action Jimmy Owens won the PRC Fast Time Award as he outqualified the 48-car field in time trials. Heat race winners were Ray Cook, Terry English, Jason Feger and Dale McDowell. The B-mains went to Chris Wall and Shannon Babb.
To find out more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Friday Night, May 15, 2009
Paducah International Raceway - Paducah, KY
PRC Fast Time: Jimmy Owens /15.442 seconds
Hawk Brake First Heat (10 Laps-Top 4 Advance): Ray Cook, Jimmy Owens, Scott Bloomquist, Brad Neat, Jeep VanWormer, John Blankenship, Justin Rattliff, Bill Frye, Bryan White, Eric Turner, Derek Chandler
Hawk Brake Second Heat (10 Laps-Top 4 Advance): Jason Feger, Don O'Neal, Josh McGuire, David Breazeale, Freddy Smith, Chris Wall, Billy James, Dane Dacus, Tyler Reddick, Tanner English, Brett Wyatt, Jason McBride
AFCO Racing Products Third Heat (10 Laps-Top 4 Advance): Terry English, Scott James, Eric Jacobsen, Earl Pearson, Jr., Shannon Babb, Steve Casebolt, Kevin Cole, Chris Shelton, Allen Christy, Terry Casey, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Lee Thomason
Tiger Rear Ends Fourth Heat (10 Laps-Top 4 Advance): Dale McDowell, Billy Moyer, Jeff Walston, Dennis Erb, Jr., Randy Korte, Dan Schlieper, Kevin Claycomb, Jason Riggs, Michael Walker, Tony Vancil, William Simmons, Dylan Thompson, Jarryd Holshouser
Mason Racin' Rebel Shock Dyno First B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Chris Wall, John Blankenship, Justin Rattliff, Dane Dacus, Tyler Reddick, Jeep VanWormer, Freddy Smith, Bill Frye, Derek Chandler, Eric Turner, Billy James, Tanner English, Jason McBride, Bryan White (DNS), Brett Wyatt (DNS)
Wiles Drive Shafts Second B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Shannon Babb, Randy Korte, Kevin Cole, Steve Casebolt, Kevin Claycomb, Dan Schlieper, Lee Thomason, Dylan Thompson, Tony Vancil, Jarryd Holshouser, Chris Shelton, Allen Christy, Michael Walker, William Simmons, Jason Riggs (DNS), Terry Casey (DNS), Eddie Carrier, Jr. (DNS)
Paducah International Raceway Feature Finish (50 Laps): Dale McDowell, Scott Bloomquist, Billy Moyer, Chris Wall, Shannon Babb, Don O'Neal, Dennis Erb, Jr., Jason Feger, Jeep VanWormer, John Blankenship, Ray Cook, Josh McGuire, Scott James, Brad Neat, Jimmy Owens, Steve Casebolt, Eric Jacobsen, Dan Schlieper, Randy Korte, David Breazeale, Earl Pearson, Jr., Justin Rattliff, Kevin Cole, Jeff Walston, Terry English
Finish (Start) Car Number Driver Name Laps Complete
1. (4) 17m Dale McDowell 50
2. (9) 0 Scott Bloomquist 50
3. (8) 21 Billy Moyer 50
4. (17) 71w Chris Wall 50
5. (18) 18 Shannon Babb 50
6. (7) 71 Don O'Neal 50
7. (16) 28e Dennis Erb, Jr. 50
8. (3) 25 Jason Feger 50
9. (24) 55 Jeep VanWormer 50
10. (19) 23 John Blankenship 50
11. (1) 53 Ray Cook 50
12. (11) 41 Josh McGuire 50
13. (6) 83 Scott James 50
14. (13) 41n Brad Neat 50
15. (5) 20 Jimmy Owens 50
16. (23) c9 Steve Casebolt 50
17. (10) 5 Eric Jacobsen 49
18. (25) s9 Dan Schliper 47
19. (20) 00K Randy Korte 34
20. (15) 54 David Breazeale 30
21. (14) 44 Earl Pearson Jr. 25
22. (21) 16 Justin Rattliff 24
23. (22) 81c Kevin Cole 24
24. (12) 56 Jeff Walston 11
25. (2) 96 Terry English 5
Race Statistics
Entries: 48
Caution Flags: 6
Lap Leaders: Ray Cook (1-20); Jimmy Owens (21-24); Scott Bloomquist (25-37); Dale McDowell (38-50)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Steve Casebolt, Jeep VanWormer, Dan Schlieper (Emergency Provisional)
PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race: Jeep VanWormer (Started 24 and finished 9 - advanced 15 positions)
Allstar Performance Performer of the Race: Dale McDowell
K&N Filters Clean Pass of the Race: Brad Neat
Quarter Master Rookie of the Race: Jeep VanWormer
Comp Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Custom Racing Engines
Time of the Race: 41 minutes

WHEATLAND, MO (May 9, 2009) - For the second time in three years, Brian Birkhofer was the winner of the SuperClean Diamond Nationals on Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Speedway. Birkhofer took the lead on the fifth lap and never looked back in taking the $30,000 first place prize money. The event was co-sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and O'Reilly MLRA Late Model Series. Dale McDowell, who went to a backup car and started 29th, managed to finish second followed by 27th starting Billy Moyer finishing third. Jimmy Mars who started 12th finished fourth and Steve Casebolt crossed the line in fifth place.
Defending race winner Shannon Babb and David Breazeale started on the front row of the 75-lap event with Babb taking the lead on the opening lap. The race began with two green flag laps until a multi-car wreck in turn four eliminated Terry Casey and James Ward who were among the victims as their nights came to an end with only two laps in the books.
On the restart Babb held the top spot with Birkhofer running in second after he had started in third. Brad Neat and Breazeale would go two-wide for third with Casebolt running fifth. Birkhofer then challenged Babb for the lead, overhauling him on lap five to take away the top spot. The two crossed the start-finish line side-by-side for lap six with Birkhofer officially scored the race leader.
Neat then made a move coming off of turn two on Babb, but the two made contact with Babb suffering left front suspension damage. He also brushed the backstretch wall as Babb lost several spots in the running order.
Babb brought out the second caution of race as he stopped on the track with eight laps in the books. On the restart, Birkhofer lead the field to the green with Neat in second followed by Earl Pearson Jr., Casebolt, and Wendell Wallace who made his first appearance in the top five.
Birkhofer was now setting a blistering pace as he started to pick up the tail end of the field by lap 12; starting to put lapped cars between himself and Neat. Will Vaught moved into the top five, dislodging Wallace from the fifth spot.
Birkhofer continued to build his lead in traffic over Neat and Pearson. By the 20th circuit he had several lapped cars as a cushion from Pearson who was starting to give Neat a battle for second. With 25 laps scored, it was still Birkhofer holding a good size lead over Neat, Pearson, Casebolt and Vaught.
The top five remained the same until Mars closed the gap on the frontrunners, nabbing the fifth spot by lap 29 just as caution came out for a stopped Wallace in turn number four. On the Delaware double-file restart, Birkhofer held the lead with Pearson and Neat racing side-by-side for two laps with; Neat finally relinquishing the second position to Pearson.
Birkhofer built a huge lead on the restart, opening up a several-car-length lead as the cars neared the half-way mark of the event. A four-car battle ensued for second between Pearson, Neat, Casebolt, and Mars. Mars moved by Casebolt to take fourth as he was on the move a lap later passing Neat for third.
With 30 laps to go, Birkhofer was on cruise control dominating the race as he built what appeared to be an insurmountable lead over the field. With 51 laps complete Scott James, who was the last car on the lead lap suffered a flat tire bringing out caution number four. The action was short this time; with only two more green flag laps before the fifth and final caution for Will Vaught, who did a 360 in the middle of the backstretch after receiving contact from another car, ending his night.
On the final restart, Birkhofer made quick work of the final 17 laps as he quickly established a significant lead over Mars who took the second spot on the restart with Casebolt, McDowell and Moyer in the hunt for a top five finish.
Both McDowell and Moyer had gone to backup cars for the race and towards the end they were hoping for a caution so they could have had a chance at Birkhofer. Mars held onto second place until McDowell overtook him with less than five laps remaining in the race. Moyer then took his turn, passing Mars for the third position a lap later.
Birkhofer then went on to pick-up his second SuperClean Diamond Nationals in three years as he went on for a convincing win becoming the ninth different Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series winner in eleven races this season.
In the Sunoco Race Fuels Road to Wheatland Victory Lane, Birkhofer was in victory for the third time in his career at Lucas Oil Speedway backing up his Diamond Nationals win in 2007. "I don't know what is about this place, but we've won a lot of money here, I want to thank Forrest Lucas, all the Lucas Oil officials and everyone involved here, it's great place to race and I'm just tickled to death to win this race again," said the 37-year old as the fans gathered in victory lane.
"Hats off to the track crew, after the rain yesterday they did a good job, there was a soft spot in one, they tried their best to work on it and it turned out to be a good race, the MB Custom Chassis and the Pro Power Engine is just performing flawlessly right now, we are looking forward to having a really good year."
Birkhofer, the defending Dirt Track World Championship winner has sponsorship from J&J Steel, Daufeldt Transport, Etchenberger Trucking, S&S Concrete, 34Raceway.com, Port City Racing, Asi Racewear, Integra Racing Shocks, McDonald's of the Quad Cities, Baileigh Industrial, Hoosier Racing Tires and VP Racing Fuels.
McDowell was pleased with his performance after going to a back-up Warrior Car. "I really needed a yellow there at the end, our luck hopefully is changing for the better, this is our first time here, what a great facility, the Lucas Oil Series is so tough when you have people like Bloomquist and Moyer taking provisionals, you know its tough, we look forward to coming back here in July," said the driver of the Clint Bowyer Racing/Chevrolet/Warrior Impala SS.
Moyer went to a back-up Moyer Victory Circle Car and was happy to finish third. "The car ran really well early on and then got even better as the race wore on, just like Dale said we both need a caution, but I don't think either of us had anything for Brian, he was that strong tonight, so congratulations to him for a great run," said the driver of the Banner Valley Hauling/Clements Racing Engines #21.
Mars was fourth in the Deppe Enterprises/Pro Power Engines/MB Custom Malibu with Casebolt having a solid finish placing fifth in his Dixie Chopper/Cornett Racing Engines/Rocket GTO.
Completing the top ten were Earl Pearson Jr., Scott Bloomquist, Scott James, Brian Shirley and Brad Neat.
In preliminary action Will Vaught set fast time among the 76 entrants on hand for the event. Heat race winners were Shannon Babb, Brian Birkhofer, Brad Neat, David Breazeale, Steve Casebolt and Terry Casey. The B-mains went to Dale McDowell and Bart Hartman.
The next Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will take place on Friday Night, May 15th and the Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY and Saturday Night, May 16th at La Salle Speedway in La Salle, IL. Both shows will pay $10,000 to win.
To find out more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Saturday Night, May 9, 2009
"3rd Annual SuperClean Diamond Nationals" @ Lucas Oil Speedway - Wheatland, MO
PRC Fast Time: Will Vaught/14.905 seconds
Hawk Brake First Heat (15 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Shannon Babb, Will Vaught,
John Blankenship, Ray Moore, Chad Mahder, John Mason, Jeep VanWormer, Rylan Long, Larry Clawson, Jeremy Kelley, Davey Johnson, Josh McGuire, Scott Bloomquist - DNS
Hawk Brake Second Heat (15 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Brian Birkhofer, Matt Miller, James Ward, Dale McDowell, John Anderson, Billy Moyer, Rickey Frankel, Don O'Neal, David Turner, Aaron Seabaugh, Jason Sivils, Todd Morrow, Brent Kreke - DNS
AFCO Racing Products Third Heat (15 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Brad Neat, Kevin Cole, Eric Jacobsen, Terry Phillips, Clint Smith, Chris Simpson, Chad Simpson, Ricky Weiss, Justin Wells, Matt Johnson, Tyler Reddick, Wesley Briggs, Zachary Goulden
Tiger Rear Ends Fourth Heat (15 Laps-Top 3 Advance): David Breazeale, Wendell Wallace, Ray Cook, Alan Vaughn, Jack Sullivan, Al Purkey, Bill Frye, Eric Turner, PJ Haskins, Mike Collins, Steve Rushin, Kelly Boen - DNS, Joe Kosiski - DNS
AFCO Racing Products Fifth Heat (15 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Steve Casebolt, Earl Pearson, Jr., Freddy Smith, Brian Shirley, Bart Hartman, Scott James, Brandon McCormick, Bill Koons, Jason Bodenhamer, Brett Wood, Jeremy Payne, Larry Jones
AFCO Racing Products Sixth Heat (15 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Terry Casey, Jimmy Mars, Jimmy Owens, Dan Schlieper, Denny Woodworth, Tony Jackson, Jr., Shawn Harker, Andrew McKay, Shad Badder, Jeremy Grady, Daniel Eckhoff, Michael Walker
Mason Racin' Rebel Shock Dyno First B-Main (15 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Dale McDowell, Ray Moore, Chad Mahder, Clint Smith, John Anderson, Chris Simpson, Billy Moyer, Chad Simpson, Terry Phillips, Jeep VanWormer, Don O'Neal, David Turner, John Mason, Tyler Reddick, Rickey Frankel, Jeremy Kelley, Rylan Long, Larry Clawson, Matt Johnson, Aaron Seabaugh, Wesley Briggs, Jason Sivils, Josh McGuire, Justin Wells, Scott Bloomquist, Zachary Goulden, Ricky Weiss - DNS, Davey Johnson - DNS, Todd Morrow - DNS, Brent Kreke - DNS
Wiles Drive Shafts Second B-Main (15 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Bart Hartman, Brian Shirley, Alan Vaughn, Denny Woodworth, Jack Sullivan, Al Purkey, Dan Schlieper, Bill Frye, Brandon McCormick, Tony Jackson, Jr., Michael Walker, Shawn Harker, Bill Koons, Mike Collins, Eric Turner, Scott James, Jason Bodenhamer, Jeremy Grady, Andrew McKay, Shad Badder, Brett Wood, PJ Haskins, Larry Jones, Jeremy Payne, Daniel Eckhoff, Steve Rushin - DNS, Kelly Boen - DNS, Joe Kosiski - DNS
3rd Annual SuperClean Diamond Nationals Feature Finish (100 Laps): Brian Birkhofer, Dale McDowell, Billy Moyer, Jimmy Mars, Steve Casebolt, Earl Pearson, Jr., Scott Bloomquist, Scott James, Brian Shirley, Brad Neat, John Blankenship, Jimmy Owens, Bart Hartman, Kevin Cole, Eric Jacobsen, Freddy Smith, Eric Turner, Ray Cook, Ray Moore, David Breazeale, Will Vaught, Alan Vaughn, Matt Miller, Wendell Wallace, Chad Mahder, Al Purkey
Finish (Start) Car Number Driver Name

HAGERSTOWN, MD (April 25, 2009) – Tim Fuller of Watertown, NY lead the last 20 laps of the 28th Annual Stanley Schetrompf Classic and took his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event on Saturday Night at Hagerstown Speedway as he won the $10,000 top prize. Trailing Fuller to the finish line were Jimmy Mars, Scott Bloomquist, Rick Eckert and Brian Birkhofer.

Eckert and Moyer started on the front row with Moyer gaining the early advantage over Eckert. Moyer quickly started to distance himself from the rest of the field, opening up an early four car length lead over Eckert, Fuller, who started fourth and the duo of Mars and Birkhofer running in the top five with five laps in the record books.

With Moyer in control early on, the first caution came out on lap ten when Jamie Lathroum got into the turn two wall, ending his night. On the Delaware double-file restart Moyer was on the point with Eckert and Fuller lined up side-by-side.

Moyer sprinted away from Eckert and Fuller on the restart. While Fuller made the move going to second on lap eleven. With 15 laps scored it was still Moyer out in front followed by Fuller, Eckert, Birkhofer and Friday Night’s winner at Bedford, Jimmy Mars.

The race was going along smoothly until Jimmy Owens, who was running seventh, spun in turn four bringing out the second caution of the race. This only slowed Moyer briefly as the 51-year-old veteran regained his momentum on the restart, pulling out to a three car length advantage over Fuller a lap into the restart.

As the cars approached the halfway mark, Moyer continued his healthy lead, which had grown to five car lengths over Fuller and Eckert who was solidly in third. Mars and Birkhofer continued to dice it out for fourth and fifth.

Moyer looked like it was going to be his night to extend his series points lead, which he held heading into the night, but misfortune struck on lap 30. His driveshaft broke coming off of turn number four and he coasted to a stop on the main straightaway, causing an abrupt end on the back of a wrecker.

Fuller then took over the lead with Eckert moving to second followed by Mars, Steve Francis and Scott Bloomquist who was on the move after starting 14th. On the restart, Fuller moved out to a two car length lead as Mars made his way around Eckert for second on lap 31. The top three of Fuller, Mars and Eckert were starting to spread out amongst each other as a great battle for fourth was taking place between Francis and Bloomquist.

The fourth and final caution came out on lap 41 when Nick Dickson broke a driveshaft as he came out of his machine on the backstretch forcing the final yellow. Fuller temporarily breathed a sigh of relief as all he had to do was head to the checkers with a clean race track in front of him.

All Mars had to do was hang on for second; on the final restart Bloomquist would go to the top of the race track passing Francis and then Eckert to take over the third spot. Bloomquist then looked to have the momentum up top and it looked as it was just a matter of time before he was going to pass Mars for second.

But Mars shut the door several times over the last five laps, holding off the challenges from Bloomquist. As those two were battling hard for second, Fuller was comfortably extending his lead and that’s all he needed. He headed to the finish line to score his first ever Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win, becoming the eighth different winner in the first ten series events.

In the Sunoco Race Fuels Road to Wheatland Victory Lane, Fuller was thankful for the opportunity to drive his winning Rocket GTO for car owner Larry Wight. “Moyer was the car to beat, we didn’t have anything for him, the last time we won here was about four years ago in a big-block modified, we’ve been struggling this year, thanks to John and Larry Wight, the guys here at Lucas Oil have always been good to us and we’re glad to finally win a race for them.”

“We really liked this Late Model stuff, the traveling is brutal sometimes to win on the Lucas Oil Series is great because of the tough competition they have this year, it was unfortunate for Billy and thankfully Chub (Frank) is alright after his accident,” said Fuller who thought of his fellow competitor when Frank escaped injury after losing his steering while leading the second B-main was he went into the third turn guardrail and then was struck by Jeremy Miller who was running second.

Finishing second was Mars in the Deppe Enterprises/Pro Power Engines/MB Custom Chassis Malibu followed by Bloomquist who took over the points lead in his Miller Brothers Coal/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars Monte Carlo SS.

Rounding out the top five was Eckert in the Raye Vest/Jay Dickens Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars Cadillac and Birkhofer in his J&J Steel/Pro Power Racing Engines/MB Customs Chassis Monte Carlo SS.

In preliminary action Brian Birkhofer was the fastest qualifier in the PRC Time Trials for the 53 entrants. Heat race winners were Rick Eckert, Billy Moyer, Jimmy Mars and Tim Fuller. The B-mains went to Dan Stone and Earl Pearson Jr.

The next Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event will be on Saturday Night, May 2nd at Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY paying $10,000 to win. For more information you can go to www.paducahracing.com.

For the latest breaking news from the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, go to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at 951-532-2503.

BEDFORD, PA (April 24, 2009) – Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, WI led all 50 laps of the “Bedford Valley Petroleum 50.” In doing so, he won his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event since 2005 on Friday Night at Bedford Speedway. Mars earned $10,000 in taking the “Bedford Valley Petroleum 50” holding off Brian Birkhofer in the late stages to record his second career LOLMDS win. He managed this while making his first ever visit to Bedford. Trailing Mars and Birkhofer were Billy Moyer, Rick Eckert and Josh Richards.

Scott Bloomquist and Mars started on the front row of the main event. Mars was neck and neck with Bloomquist at the start-finish line, but broke out in front to lead the first lap. A yellow then came out for a four-car accident coming off of turn four. With Mars in front on the restart, Bloomquist and Steve Francis lined up by side-by-side behind him on the Delaware double-file restart.

On the restart, Mars continued to hold the lead with pressure from Bloomquist. Francis, Ray Cook and Moyer were rounding out the top five. The top five stayed the same until eighth-place starter Brian Birkhofer started to move through the field advancing to the fifth spot around Moyer.

Mars set a steady pace out front as Bloomquist and Francis then fought it out for second. Birkhofer continued his impressive jaunt through the field passing Cook for fourth on lap eight. The top four cars of Mars, Bloomquist, Francis and Birkhofer started to distance themselves from the rest of the pack with 15 laps complete.

At this point of the race, Mars was starting to close quickly on the tail-end of the field, with Moyer going by Cook for fifth on lap 16. In traffic, Mars would lose the margin he had over the rest of the top five as they were able to slice into the comfortable lead that Mars once enjoyed.

Francis then moved into the second position on lap 21, going by Bloomquist, who was starting to fade slightly. At the halfway mark, Mars was still holding the lead as he put two lapped cars between himself and Francis. Birkhofer began to join the hunt for the lead also as he climbed to third, putting the heat on Francis for second.

Birkhofer then grabbed the runner-up spot on lap 26 as he set his sights on Mars. Mars held a four-car length lead when the second caution flew for debris on the track with 30 laps scored. This would set up a restart with Mars on the point and Birkhofer and Francis lined up directly behind him.

On the restart, the top five were Mars, Birkhofer, Moyer, Francis and Bloomquist. Those drivers would continue in the same running order until a caution came out for sixth-place running Jamie Lathroum, who broke a driveshaft on the main straightaway. On the restart, Mars had a clear track in front of him and with 12 laps to go the race came down to him and Birkhofer.

Mars held a three-car length lead, but Birkhofer, on the final lap cut it down to one length as the two drivers went sailing into turn three on the final circuit. It was Mars that got the run off of four as he went on to score his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since May 21, 2005 at La Salle Speedway in La Salle, IL. He became the seventh different winner in nine races this season.

In the Lucas Oil “Sunoco Race Fuels Road to Wheatland Victory Lane, Mars said his night got off to a rough start as his water pump broke off and got into the radiator. “The car was real good tonight, we set the car up and it was a little tight, it almost cost us there at the end, the MB Custom Chassis was awesome, the Pro Power Engine was awesome and I wasn’t going to let Birkhofer pass me that’s for sure,” smiled Mars.

“The track was real good I thought, this is the first time we’ve been here and it was real racy that’s for sure, we’re glad to pick up this Lucas Oil win and thanks to all the great fans for coming out tonight, they saw a good show.”

Finishing second was Birkhofer in his J&J Steel/Pro Power Engines/MB Custom Monte Carlo followed by Moyer in the Banner Valley Hauling/Clements Racing Engines/Moyer Victory Circle M1 Chassis as Eckert made a late-race charge from tenth to finish fourth in the Raye Vest Excavating/Jay Dickens Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars Cadillac and Richards came home fifth in the Ernie D’s Enterprises LLC/Cornett Racing Engines/Rocket Monet Carlo SS.

In preliminary action Scott Bloomquist set a new all-time Bedford Speedway Late Model Track record with a time of 19.346 seconds, clocking around the 5/8th mile oval breaking Rick Eckert’s former record of 19.632 seconds set last year. Heat race winners were Scott Bloomquist, Steve Francis, Billy Moyer, Jimmy Mars, Ray Cook and J.T. Spence. The B-main winners were by Earl Pearson Jr. and Dan Schlieper.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will return to the race track on Saturday Night, April 25th at the Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, MD for the “Stanley Schetrompf Classic” paying $10,000 to win. For more information on the race you can go to www.hagerstownspeedway.com.

For the latest news on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log onto www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.

SYLVANIA, GA (April 3, 2009) – Battling both Dennis “Rambo” Franklin and an overheating problem in the last five laps, Scott James of Lawrenceburg, IN won the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race at Screven Motor Speedway. For the second year in row on Friday Night, the 37-year old second generation driver found himself in Lucas Oil Victory Lane. He came from the 12th starting spot to capture the $7,000 first place prize money in an absolute barn-burner of a finish, in which he and Franklin swapped the lead on several times in the waning laps of the race, with James coming home as the winner by a narrow margin over Franklin, 17th starting Jimmy Owens, Josh McGuire and Tyler Ivey.

McGuire and Ivedent Lloyd Jr. started on the front row of the 40 lap feature. McGuire led the first lap until fourth-starting Billy Moyer made a daring three-wide move for the lead on the second lap. Moyer brought Lloyd along into second with McGuire, Earl Pearson Jr. and Scott James on the move from 12th to fifth by lap three.

Pearson brought out a caution with three scored, as he looped his car in turn one. On the restart, Moyer led Lloyd to the line as the pair of number 21 pilots was setting a rapid pace. Those two drivers ran first and second until McGuire moved by Lloyd on lap ten to take second behind Moyer, dropping Lloyd to third with James and Franklin in the top five.

James moved into third on lap 15 advancing another spot as he picked off McGuire for second and was rapidly gaining on the race-leader, Moyer. “Mr. Smooth” then started to pick-up the tail-end of the field and with 17 laps in the books, and then suddenly Moyer’s race took a dramatic change for the worse. The lapped car in front of Moyer got sideways and Moyer had to check up, causing him to spin in turn two, bringing out another caution.

James took over the lead, with Moyer now relegated to the back of the field. On the restart, it was James, McGuire, Lloyd, Franklin and Ivey in the top five running order at the half-way mark of the race. On the restart, Lloyd battled McGuire for second but lost control of his car coming off of turn number, pounding the concrete wall and ending his night.

Franklin moved up to the second spot on the restart, he closed right up to James and started to pressure him. Owens took the third position with Jeep VanWormer and Scott Bloomquist, who took a provisional to make the race running in fifth.

In the final 14 laps there would be no cautions as James and Franklin put on a phenomenal show for the fans. They would go at it tooth and nail in the race for the lead with Franklin gaining the advantage coming off of turn two, James rallying and regaining the lead time and after time. In the final five circuits James looked like he might have given the race away, developing an overheating issue with his car.

Franklin gained a swift two-car length advantage in the closing laps as it looked like he might have enough to pull off his first-ever LOLMDS victory, but it was not to be as James fought back, pulling a nice slide-job on Franklin and then passing the car of John Mason at the same time, going on to a thrilling win for the second year in a row at Screven.

In the Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the sixth time in his career, James was relieved the race was over. “That was a heck of a race for the lead, I thought at one point I gave it away, he ran a good line out of two, but my car was starting to get hot and I thought I was done,” said James who was joined in victory lane with his crew chief Kenny Kenneda and his brother, Shane James. “We both raced each other clean and that’s all you can ask for, the fans saw a great finish, there were a lot of cautions out there tonight and I can’t wait to come back here to race again.”

Franklin thought he had the race for a moment. “I got the lead and then I got hit by a rock and it knocked the wind out of me for a little bit and during that time he (James) was by me and then the race was over. We raced each other clean out there and my hats off to him,” said Franklin who drove the Cherokee Landscaping/Clements Racing Engines/Barry Wright Impala SS to his best ever Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finish.

Finishing third was Owens in the Mike Reece owned/Reece Monuments/Bloomquist Race Cars Ford Fusion followed by McGuire in the D.J.’s Kitchen Corner/GCP Racing Engines/C.J. Rayburn as Tyler Ivey finished fifth in the Crowder Disaster and Recovery/Barry Wright GTO.

In preliminary action, Dennis Franklin was the PRC fast timer in qualifications among the 44 entrants with a lap of 13.906 seconds. Heat races were won by Josh McGuire, Ivedent Lloyd Jr., Bart Hartman and Billy Moyer. Jimmy Owens and Ray Cook won the B-Mains.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be at Swainsboro Raceway in Swainsboro, GA on Saturday Night April 4th for the “April Fools 50”paying $10,000 to win. For more information, go to www.swainsbororaceway.com.

To find out more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.